


The Battle of Evermore

by darlingkelly



Series: The Family Business [6]
Category: So Weird (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 14:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18122237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingkelly/pseuds/darlingkelly
Summary: In the final installment of this So Weird series, the Phillips face off against an age-old enemy in their biggest battle yet. And this time, it's life or death.





	1. The Battle of Evermore

The hospital floor was quiet and calm, and outside all was chaos. Sirens sounded from all directions as Jack and Fi tactfully made their way to the exit doors. The demon had caught up to them, as Fi had seen, and the pair needed to escape undetected.  


They made it footsteps from the exit when Fi flinched. Clearly in distress, Jack helped his sister regain her balance and steered her onward. She took a deep inhalation of breath and doubled over.

“I can’t take it, Jack. There’s too much death here!” Fi shouted, drawing unwanted attention. She hugged her skull and struggled to propel herself forward.

Jack shushed her. “What do you mean?”

An older woman occupying the nurse’s station leapt to her feet. “She shouldn’t be out of bed so soon!” she called as she approached them.

“Don’t make me do this,” Fi pleaded under her breath.

“Fiona!” Jack looped an arm around her waist. “You aren’t making any sense. We have to keep moving.”

The nurse summoned backup. They were on the siblings’ heels.

“Sir, step back, please,” a man called out to them. “We need to return your sister to her room.”

Jack ignored him and continued toward the double doors.

“The lock is engaged,” Fi stated.

“Open this door!” Jack demanded to the nurse closest to them, now in arm’s reach of the pair. “It’s an emergency. Open the door!”

“Jack, look out!” Fi suddenly warned.

Jack braced himself, anticipating an attack. Confusion appeared on his face as his attention was brought back to Fi.

“No… no… no…” she rambled.

“Tell me what you see,” he begged her. “Fiona, please.”

“Sir!” the male nurse repeated. “Get the patient back to her-”

“No!” Fi screeched. She lowered herself to the floor and pressed a palm to the tile, as if checking for a pulse.

Jack followed her down. “Talk to me, Fi. You’re scaring me.”

“So… much… death,” she shuddered, her voice wavering. “ _Here_.”

The male nurse grabbed Fi’s arm forcefully. Jack was fast to peel it away, but before he could get a decent grip, the man was flung backward over the nurse’s station, sending a computer monitor crashing to the ground.

Jack got to his feet in an instant. He surveyed the lobby for the force that knocked the nurse away. He fixed his focus on Fi, who hadn’t moved at all from her place on the floor.

“ _Here_ ,” she said again, this time through gritted teeth. She leaned forward, causing her long hair to conceal her face.

Jack moved away from her, frightened. He had sensed she was different from the moment she’d woken up from the coma. His mind reeled. She was acting strange, almost like… she wasn’t human.

He could barely think it. But in reality, he was making a choice: whatever had become of Fiona, Jack would need to help her, or hunt her.

While Jack stood still, conflicted, the male nurse seemingly recovered. He was quick to get back to the pair, triggering Jack’s protective instinct. He stood tall between the nurse and Fi, ready to fight.

As the man came toward them, Jack noted a strange darkness in his eyes. And the other nurses on the floor had started to gather behind him, flexing and contracting their hands hanging limply at their sides.

Something was very wrong. Jack couldn’t place it, but his gut told him to stop trying to figure it out and run.

“C’mon, Fiona,” he urged, turning and cupping her shoulder. The moment his hand made contact, Fi whipped her head in his direction. Through her hair, he caught in her eyes an animalistic glare he had never seen from any human, let alone Fiona.

“Get back!” she roared.

Jack back-peddled away in shock. The nurses got closer. Jack could finally see that their gazes were not just dark, but pitch black. Demons. All of them.

Jack withdrew his handgun and went straight for the exit, ramming the double doors. They barely shook under his weight. He and Fi were trapped.

In the same moment, Fi stood slowly, her hair still masking most of her face. Her hands vibrated as she raised them up, then outward. Her fingers stretched, and stretched, until they appeared as if they might break. The nurses kept coming. Fi lifted her head, revealing a twisted grin.

Suddenly, a force radiated from her palms, ricocheting the possessed nurses in every direction. The older woman’s body went straight through the glass leading out to the hallway.

Jack watched on wide-eyed, clutching his necklace and chest as if reminding himself to keep breathing. His sister had terrified him with her new powers. He needed time to process what was happening. He needed answers.

Hesitant to reach out to her again, he yelled out, “Fi! The window! Let’s go!”

“Not yet,” she answered, making Jack more uneasy than before.

In a moment of clarity, he confronted her, demanding, “What are you?”

“Move aside, Jack,” she cautioned.

“You aren’t my sister. What are you?!”

With nothing more than an open palm, she gently moved Jack out of her way. He felt the rubber of his boots drag along the tile.

“What the hell are you?!” he bellowed.

Without answering, Fi balled her fists. She eyed the demons, now crawling around the room. She threw back her head and screamed. Jack watched on in horror as, all around them, the nurses collapsed.

Black smoke rose from their mouths. In the surrounding hospital rooms, patients and guests did the same.

Then there was silence. Fiona became very calm. She cradled her arms as she apprehensively turned to Jack.

She was met instead by the barrel of his handgun. Jack bent back the hammer and returned his aim to her forehead.

“Jack, it’s me!” she shrieked.

Jack didn’t flinch. “You’re not my sister.”

“Jack,” she softly repeated. “It’s me. I swear.”

“Don’t move,” he commanded. His hand tremored. In a swift movement, he retrieved the vial of holy water from his pocket and popped the cap. He extended it out to Fi, keeping the gun raised. “Drink it.”

Fi accepted the vial and drank. Jack eyed her intently.

“See?” she said.

He analyzed her, frowning.

“I don’t understand it either, Jack. But you need to trust me. We need to leave, now. The demon is here. He knows where we are, who we are…”

Jack folded, lowering the gun. He had vowed to protect Fiona no matter what, after all. Though the current circumstance wasn’t anywhere close to the “what” he’d anticipated. “Can we help these people?” he questioned, surveying the bodies.

Fi grimly shook her head. “We should get to the parking lot,” she answered instead.

“Why would we do that? Isn’t that where you said the demon is?”

“We may still have time to save her,” Fi said hurrying for the exit.

Jack helped her clear the broken glass. “Who?”

Fi swallowed hard. She grabbed Jack by the arm and pulled him toward the stairwell.

“Fi, who?” he asked again, immediately drawing the answer from the sympathetic look that washed over Fi’s face. “No,” he breathed, descending the stairs in as few strides as possible.

Fi followed close behind. She pushed past Jack when they reached the third level. “Here!” she called out.

Their footsteps echoed as they ran across the garage. Fi led Jack to the spot she’d seen in her vision. Even though she knew what to expect, her chest sunk when she found Van slumped upright against her car. She was bloody, her hands wrapped around her stomach.

Jack let out a pained sigh when he saw her. “Van,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers.

“We’re too late,” Fi said, lip quivering.

The siblings were interrupted by the skidding of tires and wailing sirens.

“We need to keep moving,” Jack huffed. He gave Van’s hand a prolonged final squeeze and jogged back to the stairwell. Fi wished there was something she could say to comfort him.

They reached the ground floor and Fi eyed the emergency exit. “This is going to sound an alarm,” she informed Jack. “We’ll need to book it around the building and down the closest side street. If we need to get desperate,” she paused. Before she could finish her thought, she was caught in the gaze of a figure, staring straight at her from the small glass window that looked out onto the ground level of the garage.

“Jesse?” she whimpered, frozen in place. The man was an exact copy of her late boyfriend, with one glaring difference: two piercing yellow eyes. He gave her a haunting grin.

Jack must have noticed, because he flung open the emergency exit door and pushed her through it. Their legs pumped through the street. Red and blue lights bounced off of every building. The pair took the first dim corner, ducking out of sight.

Jack motioned toward an adjacent street and Fi ran faster. The sound of sirens grew closer by the second. If all the nurses had been demons, Fi could only assume the police might be, too. They couldn’t trust anyone.

 

Jack pulled Fi around another corner, where he was abruptly met by a hard bump to the chest. He inadvertently bit his lip and swore. He’d sent a male figure falling back into the street, clutching his arm in pain.

“Clu?” Jack exhaled, quickly helping his friend to his feet.

“I came here as soon as I heard,” he started to explain. Clu hardly regained his balance when Jack yanked him along with Fiona, continuing their sprint.

“Get us to your car!” he yelled.

“This way,” Clu responded, sensing Jack’s urgency. “Couldn’t get any closer,” he panted. “Police are swarming the hospital.”

“We know,” Jack and Fi said in unison, reaching Clu’s sedan.

The three piled in.

“Drive,” Jack demanded, slapping the dash.

“Working on it,” Clu stuttered, fumbling to get the key into the ignition. “Got it!”

“Go!” Fi yelled from the backseat.

Clu peeled out of his parking space and sped away in the opposite direction of the hospital. “Where to?” he asked in a panic.

“Home,” Fi quickly responded. “We’re going home.”

 

Fi watched the hectic scene fade from sight through the back window. The friends took a long while to catch their breath.

“What the hell happened back there? Are you two all right?” Clu sighed.

Fi bit her lip. Jack glanced over his shoulder at her before attempting to answer, “No, Clu. More people are dead. There was nothing we could do…” Jack’s voice trailed off.

“People… Wait, wasn’t Carey with you? Oh, God. Is my brother…?”

“No,” Jack quickly responded. “No, Carey’s fine. We, uh…” he took another deep breath. “Clu… we lost Annie.” Clu’s expression turned sullen and Fi hated it. She could feel his despair building as Jack continued, dragging his palms over his temples, “Van, too. My… She was in rough shape. I think she’s… They’re both. They’re gone,” he choked out.

“Aw, Jesus, Jack. I’m so sorry,” Clu let out, voice low.

 

The three traveled thirty miles up US-64 without a word between them when Clu suddenly pulled away from the road. The shock of Jack’s bad news had worn off, and he was hit with a wall of grief. The non-Mustang hardly stirred the gravel as he eased the car to a stop.

Clu got out and put his arms above his head, struggling to regain his composure.

 

“I should go talk to him,” Fi offered. “I’m the one who dragged him back into this.”

“No,” Jack insisted. “Stay here. I didn’t want to say anything in front of Clu, and obviously there are other things on my mind right now, but we’re going to have to talk about what you did back there.”

“Like I said before, if I could explain it, I would.”

He turned toward her, becoming very serious. “Why can’t you? Is it because I won’t like the answer?”

Fi stared at her hands. “I made a promise.”

“A promise?” he cut in. “What kind of promise? A deal?”

“No!” she spat. “Of course not.”

“Fiona, tell me the truth. I know something happened while you were in that coma. Did you make a deal with a demon for those powers?”

“I told you, no.”

“Then where’d they come from?”

“Genetics,” she said quietly.

“Bullshit. And you know how I know it’s bullshit? Because, Fi, I’m channeling all my energy into telekinetically launching your stubborn ass out of this car, yet here you still are, sittin’ pretty in that seat while you lie to my fucking face.” Jack was coming undone. He got out of the car and redirected his frustration toward Clu. “Pull it together, man. We don’t have any time to waste. From here on out, I’m driving.”

 

Clu settled into the passenger seat with a scowl as Jack wasted no time getting them back on the road. The three of them made it ten more miles without another car in sight, when seemingly from nowhere, a second set of headlights appeared up ahead.

“High beams off, asshole,” Jack complained, squinting his eyes as the lights grew brighter.

“Look out, man. That guy’s flying.” Clu warned.

The truck was rapidly closing the gap between them. Too fast. And weaving a little too close to their lane…

“Jack…” Fi’s voice emerged from behind them. “Back up… Turn around. Go! Now!”

“What the hell is this idiot doing?” Jack started to say, when their sedan shifted itself into reverse, the gas pedal dropping out from under his foot and pressing itself to the floor, sending the car and its passengers forward with an uncomfortable jerk.

“Jack!” Clu yelled out.

“I’m not doing it!”

Both the sedan and fast-moving truck barreled down the open road, the sedan speeding backward down the yellow line, the oncoming truck keeping pace. The light from the truck’s high beams blinded them. Clu realized Jack wouldn’t be able to steer them in the right direction if he tried, but somehow, impossibly, he didn’t need to. The wheel shook in Jack’s hands but wouldn’t budge. Clu fought to read the speedometer.

_90… 100…_

Panic filled the car as the wheel cut to the left, causing the sedan to skid violently to a stop, narrowly avoiding a collision.

“Holy shit!” Clu cried out. “My car’s a guardian angel.”

His feelings of relief died out as the truck braked, turned and continued toward them at full speed.

Jack struggled to take control of the car, but Clu knew there was no way he’d be able to get them out of the truck’s path in time.

“Fi, the psychic thing would be very helpful right about now!” Jack shouted to her reflection in the rearview mirror. Clu turned to see her reaction to Jack’s odd statement, hoping in that moment that Jack hadn’t lost it and genuinely meant that Fi could do something, anything, to save them, but was shocked to find her eyes pale and focused, as if in a trance.

“Fi!” Clu joined in, watching on in terror as the truck’s headlights once again illuminated the car’s interior.

Clu and Jack braced for impact, but Fi didn’t flinch. Clu squeezed his eyelids shut but could still detect the intense light growing brighter, the sound of the truck getting louder; its tires spinning, its engine revving. Oh, God, it was right on top of them.

Then, nothing.

No crunching metal, no more broken bones. The car was intact. He and his friends were unharmed. But the sound of spinning tires hadn’t subsided. The engine still revved angrily.

Clu and Jack exchanged confused looks. The road, now clear, remained lit by the truck’s high beams, but where from? In unison, the men followed the sound of the truck’s frustrated growls upward, to the roof of the car. They quickly unbuckled their seatbelts and leaned out the windows.

To Clu’s disbelief, the truck was suspended in air, hovering six feet above them, tires turning, engine revving.

Moving fast, they sat back in their seat as Jack shifted the car into reverse. As he accelerated backward, there was a loud thud on the roof. Clu ducked instinctively as a human figure ran down the hood and leaped off. Jack managed to get the car just barely out of harm’s way as the truck came crashing down in front of them.

Still fixated on the truck, Clu screamed when the figure drove a shoulder into the passenger door. Without hesitation, Jack removed his gun from his belt and fired.  
A man’s silhouette crumbled on the gravel. Jack motioned for Clu to stay put, but he couldn’t help but follow him to investigate. The struck man crawled toward them, like a zombie unfazed by his injuries, eyes black from lid to lid. Jack kept his gun on him, ready to fire, when the man’s head fell backward, a dark cloud emerging from his mouth and disappearing up into the sky. The body went limp as its eyes glazed over.

Clu opened his mouth to express his horror when he suddenly realized Fi hadn’t followed them out of the car. Jack must have had the same thought, because both men quickly turned their attention back to the sedan. Clu raced forward, reaching the car just ahead of Jack.

Fi sat eerily still, her eyes entirely white.

“Fi?” Clu called to her, his voice shrunken to a whisper, shaken with fear. He tried reaching out to her but Jack cautioned him to stop.

“Fiona?” Jack said quietly, almost as if he was afraid of her.

“Jack,” Clu insisted, not understanding his friend’s warning. He reached for the door handle, shooting Jack a disapproving look as he carefully climbed in the backseat beside her. He eyed Fi’s hands, observing her nails digging deep into her thigh. Clu gently extended his good arm.

“Careful,” Jack said to him.

“It’s okay, Fi,” Clu offered in a hushed tone. He laced his fingers with hers and slowly peeled her hands away from her legs. To his surprise, she loosened her grip at his touch and softly held his hand in hers.

Fi blinked a few times, her eyes returning to their natural color. “It’s me, Clu,” he said when she seemed not to recognize him. She exhaled, her breath unsteady, and leaned into him. Clu tucked her head under his chin and kissed her forehead before turning his attention back to Jack.

“We’re too vulnerable out here,” said Jack, getting behind the wheel and putting the car in drive.

Clu sat in silence as his heartbeat returned to normal, focusing on Fi’s hand in his own. He thought of the innocent man they left on the side of the road; the truck that had almost ended his life; his son, and his family back home.

He had escaped death for the second time in a matter of weeks. Clu adjusted his posture to hold Fi a little closer.

 

“They’re alive,” Molly said excitedly to Carey. “Jack and Fi are on the way to us. Your brother’s got them.”

“You’re joking,” he groaned. “Leave it to Clu to get mixed up in the most dangerous moment of our lives. So, what did they say when you spoke to them?”

Molly didn’t answer. She stared at the ground, slowly tracing her ring with her thumb. Her sudden withdrawal made Carey tense.

“Molly?” he said, lightly touching her arm.

She lifted her head with a start.

“I didn’t,” she responded, still fidgeting with her ring. “I… saw it.”

“Uh…” Carey attempted and failed a follow up as Molly moved past him.

“What have you got for me, Ned?” she asked instead.

“I’ve been back and forth with Jordan,” Ned explained in his usual raspy tone. “Something’s up a couple towns over – electrical storm – and atypically high counts of demonic activity coming in from all across the country. Jack’s friend Vanessa was going to get me a full report… It’s not like her to go radio silent on us.”

Molly felt a familiar sinking feeling in her stomach. Irene read her grim expression loud and clear.

“Ned and Jordan are on it. Right, honey?” she assured her. “We’re going to do whatever we can to ensure you guys make it out of this in one piece, Mol.”

“I know you will. But my kids come first. I don’t care what happens to me.”

“Same here,” Irene responded, looking at Carey. “That’s why you’ll be far away when this demon shows up. Do you understand?”

Carey immediately protested. “And what about Clu?”

Irene shot Molly an annoyed look. “What about him?” she demanded to know.

Molly sighed. “Jack and Fi are with Clu. The three of them are on their way here as we speak.”

“Oh, son of a-! Ned, are you hearing this?!” Irene shouted, storming off toward the bar’s back office and slamming the door behind her.

“Is this really the time…” Ned was heard saying as he followed her into the room.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Carey turned to Molly and began to ramble, “I don’t care what Mom says. I’m helping. I’ll use that knife handle thing myself if I have to.”

“Under no circumstance do you touch that knife,” Molly warned. “I appreciate that you want to help, but your mother is right.”

“But, Molly,” Carey pleaded, “I’m in this! You said it yourself!”

“Listen to me. When your brother gets here, take him somewhere safe. Draw some traps, salt the doors and windows. You know the drill.”

He grabbed her hands, begging.

“No,” she said sternly.

Before Carey had a chance to argue, Irene stomped back into the room with Ned on her heels. Carey dropped Molly’s hands and took a step back.

With a deep breath, Irene pointed at Carey and said, “You want to be a part of this so badly? You can start by cleaning up the mess that demon bitch made of my bar. And while you’re at it, pick out a real cozy spot inside that devil’s trap because neither you or your brother are going anywhere until this thing’s over.”

Carey’s objection was cut short by the sound of car doors.

“Okay, gang,” Molly said in a labored tone. “It’s go time.”

 

“Mom!” Fi cried out, rushing to her mother.

“Hi, baby,” Molly sobbed, embracing her. Molly inspected Fi until Fi assured her she was all right.

Jack joined them, quick to offer Molly forgiveness and hugged his family tight.

“How is she?” Molly asked him once Fi was far enough away not to hear.

Jack, unsure of exactly what to say finally settled on, “Different.” To his surprise, his mother simply gave an approving half-smile in response, as if she knew what Fi would become.

Had he only known of Molly’s precise orchestration in the matter, he likely wouldn’t have been so ready to absolve her.

Jack watched on as the group greeted each other. He had a grave notion that this could be the last time they were all together, and decided he should capture this moment with a photograph.

“How’s this for a reunion?” he exclaimed with false bravado. “Get together, everyone.”

The group obliged, though his light tone wasn’t fooling anyone. With a single flash, seven smiles fell away to stone-cold expressions, and they immediately disbanded to get to work on their individual tasks.

Fi hurried to the computer monitor, analyzing the maps Ned and Jordan had pin-marked.

“The activity seems to be taking on a circular pattern,” Ned explained. “And, if we superimpose the strange weather mapping over a map of the town, the eye of the storm perfectly aligns with the cemetery.”

“Where Dad is buried,” Fi said, locking eyes with Jack. Ned cupped her shoulder.

“You’ve got this, kiddo,” Carey offered.

Molly took Fi’s hand, adding, “This is pure evil we’re up against, out to hurt us every way it can. It knows its way under our skin. We can’t let it, okay?”

Fi gave a confident nod. “It’s called Aileen.”

“From the old Irish folktale?” Ned interjected.

Jack suddenly remembered the message Van had tried to deliver to him. “It’s about us,” he spoke without meaning to. “Van asked if Fiona was a family name, which we know, it is.”

“Fionn, he’s the hero of that story,” Ned continued.

“Who defeats Aileen using a silver spear,” Molly let out, retrieving the knife handle from her jacket pocket. “Your father was obsessed with finding this,” she explained to her children. “It was created for my great grandmother Fiona but it was stolen in transit from Scotland. It never reached her. She’s the one who told Rick about it.”

“So Dad knew all along. Can it really kill a demon?” Fi pressed.

“Whatever snapped this blade certainly didn’t want to risk finding that out. I don’t remember a lot of the research your father shared with me when he was alive. Back then, I didn’t take all this as seriously. Most of what I do remember is what your dad tried telling me right before he died.”

Fi let out a shaky breath at the mention of Rick’s death.

“My grandmother must have warned him what you kids would one day have to do. Rick couldn’t bear it. He wanted you two to have normal lives; wanted that more than anything. So, he became infatuated with this stupid knife. He said he was going to find it and use it to destroy the thing that would someday come for you, so you would never have to become…” Molly paused. “So, you, Fiona, could be a normal kid. I’m sorry that opportunity was stolen from you.”

“Mom,” Fi let out, hugging her mother.

“He loved you so much, both of you,” Molly added. “He just wanted to keep you safe.”

Jack embraced his family. “We still can,” he whispered into their shoulders.

“Right,” Fi agreed, putting on a brave face for her brother. “When I was asleep, something came to me and told me this fight has been happening for generations. I don’t want to cast the demon back to Hell this time. I want to kill it. For Dad.”

“Is that even possible?” asked Jack.

“There’s an option that the family has yet to try,” said Molly. “Every generation’s Fionn is awarded gifts; powers.”

“Powers?” Irene cut in.

“Yeah, mom,” Clu answered before Fi could explain. “You should see what Fi can do. It’s amazing.”

“I’m sure it is,” Molly added proudly. “But if we want to end this demon, not just cast it back to Hell, we would need to sacrifice them to the weapon and go into battle with dwindling magic.”

“Yeah right!” / “Sounds like a plan to me,” Clu and Jack replied at the same time, the first confronting Jack in disbelief.

“Jack, how can you say that? You saw it.” Clu turned to Fi. “Fi, you can’t give them up. You don’t even know if this will work!”

Fi bit her lip. “We have to try.”

“Baby, are you sure?” Molly asked. “It’s not a guarantee. There is a chance it will make us more vulnerable.”

“But there’s a chance it will help us win. It’s worth the risk. It’s what Dad would have wanted. Did want,” she corrected herself. “I’ll do it.”

“Wait, we aren’t talking about an actual sacrifice here, right?” Jack probed. “Because I don’t give a shit if these directions came from God himself, we aren’t hurting Fiona.”

“No,” Molly went on. “Absolutely not.”

Jack sighed in relief. “Great, so what do we do?”

“Ah,” Molly proudly exclaimed, displaying a piece of paper with writing on it. “This might help.”

“Is this a spell?” Fi asked. “What does it do?”

“It’s a bit complicated, but we’re going to transfer your magic into objects; something that holds a lot of meaning to each of the three of us. That’s what gives the spell power. And it needs to be metal, so we can melt it down into a blade. That way we can restore the spear.”

“We aren’t melting my car,” Jack butted in.

“No, Jack,” Molly continued. “The objects need to be much more meaningful.”

Jack held tight to his necklace in the same moment Fiona reached for her ring.

“Mom, no,” Fi objected. “We can’t. These were yours and Dad’s. And Jack’s necklace…”

“I know. But it’s the best chance we’ve got.”

The Bells watched on sympathetically as the Phillips family removed their respective jewelry.

Molly took her children’s hands and began to chant in Gaelic. Somehow, Fi understood.

Thank you for this magic. We return to you these gifts. May you protect us.

She joined in, and her brother and the Bells soon joined them, mimicking the sounds by syllable.

And the spell was cast.

 

Ned helped collect the enchanted jewelry and set it in a metal box to be melted down. Jack insisted on helping, operating the torch himself. He watched as the angel charm slowly lost its form under the flame, and was grateful he wore a safety mask to hide the emotion on his face. He knew he needed to be courageous, stoic even, to ensure Fi and Molly stay strong.

 

Hours passed before the blade was cool enough to hold. Jack held it in his hands and felt a sense of familiarity, as if he’d held the completed knife once before. He returned upstairs to find Clu and Carey asleep in one of the booths. His mother, Fi and Irene were busy brainstorming, but froze when they saw him.

“It’s done,” he announced.

Fi ran her fingers along the empty indentation on her opposite thumb.

“Great work, Jack,” Molly shouted and ran to him, the noise waking the Bell brothers.

“Is this it, then?” Carey questioned.

Molly nodded.

“And we,” Irene cut in, “have a standing agreement. You and Clu are parking it here. Hold down the fort. Make sure my bar’s still standing when all this is over.”

Clu looked to Fi, busy going over strategy with Jack. He caught Molly throw a stern glance in Carey’s direction. “Sure thing, Mom…” Clu mumbled.

“Good boys,” Irene answered, giving him a long hug.

 

Across the room, Molly rejoined her children and continued preparations.

“Okay, guys. Jack will hold onto the spear. Fi, your powers have already started draining. Use them sparingly. Only if you need to, all right?”

Fi nodded.

“You should have enough juice left for two or three small stunts, you got it?”

“Got it,” Fi assured her.

“Okay, gang. Let’s get moving.”

“Wait!” Clu stood and approached Fi. “Can I talk to you for a minute? A quick goodbye, just in case…”

Fi looked to her mother for approval.

“Yes, everyone. We’re preparing for a worst-case scenario. Better say what you need to say while you still can,” Molly commanded.

Ned and Irene surrounded Carey before he could make his way to Molly. She seemed too busy packing up the Mustang to acknowledge him anyways.

Clu pulled Fi aside by her hand, physically anxious.

“Okay, I’m going to make this brief,” he began. “So, some stuff has been coming back to me – memories – from when I was possessed. Only in glimpses, kind of like I blacked out drinking. Not that I’ve done that recently…”

“Clu,” Fi pleaded. “What are you trying to say?”

Clu let out a heavy sigh. He reached out and gently caressed the bruise on her face. “I did this, huh?”

Fi shook her head. “No, Clu. This wasn’t you. You couldn’t help it.”

“It used my hands. I never got a chance to thank you, for being there for me. You saved my life. I’m going to make it up to you, when you get back.”

“I think you mean if I get back,” Fi said with a sad smile.

“But you have to. Because… God, why do I feel embarrassed right now? It’s you. It’s Fi. _My_ Fi.”

Fi raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not what I meant. Or, yeah, it is… because… I know you wouldn’t want to end up with some idiot like me who picked his college based off a t-shirt he saw in _Pulp Fiction_. But Fi, I was in love with you. Back when you used to visit me. And I think… I think I’ve always been a little bit in love with you,” Clu finally admitted. His face reddened.

“Wow,” Fi let out. “Clu… I’ve lost almost everyone who’s ever been important to me.”

“I know. And I’m aware this is like, the worst possible time to tell you all this.”

“Sort of, but that’s not what I’m getting at. I’ve lost everyone. I’ve made mistakes. You’ve always been there for me, and I took advantage of that. If I make it out of this fight alive, I’ll make it up to you. And even though what happened with the demon was not your fault, I might let you make that up to me, too,” she said with a smirk, pulling Clu into a hug. After a beat she whispered into his ear, “Clu, this might be my last night on earth, so if you don’t take this opportunity to kiss me…”

“Got it,” he grinned and leaned down to oblige. He pulled away reluctantly adding, “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Fi nodded and rejoined her family, giving Clu one last glance before Carey begrudgingly directed him toward the cellar stairs.

Jack approached her, asking, “You ready?”

“Ready,” she answered.

 

The Mustang growled, kicking up mud, as it pulled up to the gates of the cemetery, filled to capacity with passengers and adrenaline. Ned and Irene sat quietly in the backseat, tightly holding each other’s hand. Up front, Jack and Molly also sat silent. Fi nervously hummed to herself, her father’s song, without realizing. She traced the indentation on her thumb.

Words of any kind seemed inappropriate. Perhaps because the same thought plagued their minds at once: win or die.

The storm had started, growing increasingly violent with each passing minute of their short drive. A harsh wind shook the car. Heavy rain pummeled its windshield.

As Fi stepped out into the elements, she observed a dark cloud roll over the grounds, as if the Mustang had been dragging it behind them like a kite. And the second her hand touched the iron gate, it all stopped.

Fi and the others tensely watched the sky open up, revealing a clear black canvas devoid of a single star. In the distance, they could see rain falling on all sides. They appeared to be walled off from the rest of the world. Fi, masking her fear, turned to Jack for strength. He pulled her close.

“I love you, Jack.”

“I love you too, sis.”

Molly latched onto them, giving each a kiss on the forehead. Tears clouded her eyes.

“We’ve got this,” Irene offered from behind them.

“Right,” Jack agreed. “To never losing another.”

The group put in their hands before parting and tending to their given tasks.

“Remember, stay close to the gates,” Molly instructed her friends. “We’ll head toward the center.”

Jack, Fi and Molly fell into step as they entered the graveyard, weapons drawn aside from the spear which was carefully concealed at Jack’s hip, and cautiously surveyed their surroundings. They subconsciously gravitated toward the place where they were most familiar, Rick’s grave.

To their horror, they found the site in disarray, the dirt freshly dug; the tombstone shattered; the casket broken open. Through the slivered wood, they could see glimpses of his remains. Fiona gasped and hid her head in Jack’s chest. Molly’s legs failed her.

“We have to stay strong,” Jack reminded them both, feeling sick himself. “Stay focused.”

“What’s going on?” Ned shouted to them, his powerful voice drowned out by a sudden clap of thunder. A lightning bolt followed, and the group watched as it cleaved; one electric vein striking and igniting a nearby pine tree; the other cutting through the air and hurdling east, toward the Bells’ bar.

The exact location.

An explosive boom shook the earth and in moments they saw a pillar of fire swell upward into the sky. Irene shrieked and Ned cried out for his sons despite them being a few miles away, if not further.

“Go!” Molly shouted, taking the Mustang’s keys from Jack and tossing them to Ned. Without hesitation, Irene and Ned dashed toward the car. However, before they could make it past the entrance, the graveyard’s iron gates swung shut and locked. Irene shook its bars, screaming. Ned tried to force the gate open to no avail.

“Stand back!” Fi yelled, feeling the energy flowing into her hands.

“Don’t you dare waste what’s left of your power on us!” Irene cried back, exchanging a worried look with her husband. “We’ll handle this!”

“That’s my girl, save your strength,” an impossible voice answered – Rick, Fi’s father, stood before her, his eyes a piercing yellow.

“Daddy?” she let out helplessly.

 

“Fiona!” Jack screamed, firing a round into the demon, reeling. Not only had it successfully distracted them, getting within inches of his sister, but it had taken the most sacred form his family could imagine. Jack needed to accept it and move past it; remain focused; be valiant. For his family’s sake.

Fi instantly dropped to the ground and peddled backward, terrified yet entranced by the entity’s wide grin that she remembered only in dreams.

Molly was less enchanted and was quick to attack. She aimed and threw her knife directly into where her late husband’s heart would have been. The demon barely reacted, instead extending an arm, and despite the continuous shots from Jack making contact, swiftly lifted Molly in the air and launched her body toward a tombstone six yards away.

Fi was fast to use her telekinesis to move her out of the path of the tombstone, though Molly still hit the ground with a thud.

“Mom!” Jack wailed. Overcome with rage, he charged at the demon. He unsheathed the spear.

“Jack, no!” Fi called out, getting back on her feet to save her brother. She tried to stop him with her mind, but her power failed her. She felt numb as she watched the demon calmly make a fist, cock his head, and crack one of Jack’s ribs.

Jack let out a sharp yell and collapsed, gasping for air.

“No!” Fi cried, tears stinging her eyes.

She looked to Ned and Irene in desperation. The demon followed her line of vision. With a wave of his hand, he released the lock on the gates, causing the iron doors to swing open with such force that they crushed Ned and Irene’s bodies between its bars and the stone pillars on either side. They fought against the iron, struggling to breathe.

Fi reached toward them, wanting to free them, but she knew she wouldn’t have the chance. She had to keep fighting.

She withdrew her knife and drove it hard into the being’s heart, alongside her mother’s weapon still lodged in its chest.

“You took my father!” she wept. “Isn’t that enough?”

The demon, in her father’s form, appeared amused. To Fi’s disgust, he proudly cupped her hand, still clutching the knife’s handle.

“So, this is my enemy?” he said. “Fiona Phillips.”

“I’m going to kill you,” she promised.

The demon’s unsettling grin turned mischievous. “I can bring back your father. I was kind enough to preserve this body for him. If you kill me, he’ll have nothing to return to.”

“What are you saying?” Fi demanded.

“Killing me would mean killing your father all over again,” it sing-songed.

“No,” Fi protested. “I can’t do it!”

The demon grinned wider. “Then you die.”

With minimal effort, he flung her backwards. Fi recoiled and focused on the demon with extreme determination. She recalled the feeling she had experienced back at the hospital and in the car while fighting for her life; the overwhelming energy and power that had consumed her; and did all she could to replicate it.

“Go ahead, Fiona Phillips. Do your damnedest!” the demon taunted.

 

Meanwhile, Jack was using all his strength to drag his body toward Molly. He attempted to call out to her but no sound came out. Pushing with his legs, he stretched to shake her. His fingers grazed her arm.

“Mom, c’mon. Get up. Fiona needs us.”

  
“Go on, try!” the demon commanded with a sinister smile.

Fi grimaced. She felt electricity in her fingers. Her body became cold, its heat flowing into her hands, then boiling, burning hot back through her veins. She crouched down and wailed, drawing energy from the earth, letting it flow into her body, into her blood. Her pupils darkened. She could see the energy now, bright white light, being absorbed by her body. She felt more powerful than she ever had before.

“I’m not letting you go that easily,” Fi spat with a sideways grin.

She became increasingly confident as she watched the demon’s delighted expression fall away to fear. With an animalistic cry, she released the energy onto it, sending a beam of light straight through its chest, temporarily blinding Jack, Molly and the Bells. With the last bit of energy, Fi fainted.

The demon howled, black smoke seeping from its mouth.

 

Jack watched on in confusion. Fi was banishing it. This wasn’t the plan, but at least they would live another day.

The demon coughed violently, filling the area with smoke. Then the cough changed pitch and morphed into another sound.

Jack’s chest sank. It was laughter.

 _No, Fi. What were you thinking?_ he thought to himself.

The black smoke reversed direction and reentered the form of his father. Jack could see the demon cracking its bones, its eyes pined on Fi’s crumpled body. It took a predatory step toward her, and that was all the motivation Jack needed.

He lunged forward, spear in hand, and charged the demon. As if it heard him coming before it saw him, the demon waved a hand and launched Jack backward. He felt another crack as his vision faded. He’d failed.

 

Molly finally got to her feet, wasting no time as she took the spear from Jack and tossed it toward the demon. With the grin back on its face, it lifted Fi’s body and put her in the path of the blade.

“No!” Molly screamed.

The blade sunk into Fi’s shoulder. She whimpered and clutched her wound, groggily wakening.

 

Jack’s vision cleared in time to see the demon, furious, raising its hands. Molly was frozen; her last-ditch effort unsuccessful, her babies hurt.

Ned and Irene struggled harder against the iron bars, aware their last chance at survival was now lodged into Fi’s shoulder. They were as good as dead.

 

“That blade,” the demon bragged, lifting up Fi by her throat, “that blade was created to kill me, huh?”

It sent another powerful invisible blow to Molly, Ned and Irene all at once.

“Mom! Dad!” a distressed voice pleaded from the gates.

Clu, with Carey by his side, both coated in soot and sweat. They had survived. Each had a look of confusion upon seeing a reanimated Rick, followed by regret and fear from making themselves known to it.

“No,” Ned said breathlessly.

The demon became intrigued.

“And who do we have here?” he asked Fi. “They look a lot like that boy I burned on your ceiling.” It suddenly dropped Fiona and raised both hands toward the brothers.

“Hey!” Jack somehow shouted through gritted teeth, buying his friends some time to escape. “This isn’t their fight, it’s ours.”

“Not dead yet, son?” the demon teased. “You’ve got a lot more fight in you than your father did. Or your girlfriend.”

Brimming with anger, Jack attempted and failed to get back on his feet.

 

Molly beat him to it. She walked toward the demon with her hands up in surrender.

“Molly, don’t,” Carey whispered.

Clu nudged him. “Help me,” he said, gesturing toward the gates. They each took a side and as quietly as possible, worked to free their parents. Carey kept an ear on Molly.

“I want to make a deal,” she stated, holding her side. “Just leave my children alone.”

“No deals,” the demon hissed.

“Fine, just-“ Molly eyed the spear in Fi’s shoulder, now within an arm’s reach. Before she could act, the demon attacked. Molly swung, putting up a fight, but dramatically weakened, she quickly ran out of steam and collapsed to the ground.

“I burned your husband’s soul to a crisp,” it threatened. “I’ll gladly do the same to you.”

The demon held up his hand and it in created a ball of fire.

 

Fi knew this was it. She was barely conscious, but her instincts told her if she didn’t use up the rest of her power now, she’d never get the chance. The first part of her plan had seemed to work – letting the demon believe she’d drained most of her power trying to banish it. She was patiently waiting to commence part two.

When she saw the fireball reflected in Molly’s eyes, she knew this was her chance.

 

Jack finally propped himself up and limped forward to Fiona.

“Jack, pull out the knife,” she ordered.

Jack only hesitated for a moment before doing what he was asked.

Fi’s cries caught the demon’s attention.

“Your father made a fine vessel,” it taunted, “and so will you.”

Without another word, it launched the fireball in their direction.

 

All at once, Fi’s abilities returned to her. She extinguished the flame with a burst of wind and sent the spear cutting through the air and directly into the creature’s heart.

Under her breath, Fi stated, “This is for our Dad, you son of a bitch.”

She used the last of her remaining power to twist the spear in farther.

The demon, stunned, reached toward the wound and collapsed. Its body – Rick’s body – flickered twice, then withered away to ashes.


	2. Epilogue

It had taken Jack months to heal, and each day left him more anxious to get back on the road. Tomorrow was the day, he’d decided. Though his family’s curse seemed to be lifted, there would always be monsters.

“Eh, but monsters are easy,” he had joked to Fi the last time they talked.

They had a scheduled call every Friday night before dinner that neither would dare to miss. Ever since their battle, Fi had been rivaling his reputation for being the overprotective sibling. Along with defeating the demon, the last of her powers had helped heal her wounds. Jack wasn’t as lucky.

Fi had been trying to convince him there was no more need to hunt. After all, they had defeated their biggest adversary. Jack could have a “real” life, like she had found.

“How are things going with Clu?” he’d asked.

“Happy. Normal,” she’d answered.

“Sounds boring.”

“Sometimes, boring’s good.”

 

Jack walked out onto the porch of his mother’s house in Colorado, where he’d spent most of his recovery. They’d happily settled their debts with the bank after their fight, mostly through legal means and only some help from Jordan. Molly sat on a wooden bench, sipping liquid from a mug.

“Relax, it’s just coffee,” she teased.

“Hey, you’re a big girl,” he responded, throwing up his arms.

“And yours?” she said, nodding toward the cup in his hand.

Jack grinned, “Bourbon.”

He joined his mother’s side and looked out onto the mountains. The world around him was peaceful and shrouded in evergreen.

“Your sister doesn’t get in until seven. Caleb painted himself from head to toe with his breakfast and they missed their original flight.”

“They use that kid as an excuse for everything. I bet Clu did it as a joke and pinned it on the poor kid.”

Molly let out a laugh, “It’s not easy being a parent. Just wait, you’ll see.”

Jack frowned. “Mom…” he let out lowering his voice, “you can’t say stuff like that anymore, remember? Van might hear you. It makes her upset.”

Jack and Van had completed their rehabilitation together. Jack was overjoyed to find, upon their return from battle, that she had survived her attack. However, her injuries caused some permanent internal damage, making it unlikely that she’d be able to have children. Molly knew that’s what the doctors had told them, but she remained hopeful.

“They told me the same thing after all the crap I put in my body back in the ‘70s, and it didn’t stop me, right?” Molly explained. “And look at us now. Hours away from a houseful of my babies, home together, safe and sound.”

Jack had told Molly his intentions of going back on the road, but now was not the time to remind her. He, too, was grateful to have everyone home together, safe and sound. They had all survived. Impossibly, they had all survived. That’s all that mattered.

 

Fiona didn’t arrive in town until close to eight. Her car ride took her past the Bells’ bar, which was almost unrecognizable since its reconstruction. Carey had been working tirelessly to restore some of its old characteristics, but it would never be the same place. There were far less hunters frequenting Roadies these days. Many lost their battles in the fight, her fight, against the demons. She knew how lucky she and her family had been to walk away with their lives.

When she got to the house, Molly hugged her for several minutes. Caleb pushed past them and disappeared into a pile of gifts as Clu joined his family around the fire. Jack handed Fi some eggnog as she joined them. Van wrapped herself around Jack. Molly and Carey traded off on the guitar.

Fi absorbed each second of the group’s time together, careful to register every detail. She imagined her father sitting with them, looking on proudly. This is what she’d fought for.

 

Later that night, when everyone else had gone home or to bed, Fi remained by the fire with Jack, reminiscing about their adventures and life on the road, both as hunters and as kids on the tour bus.

“So, when are you leaving?” Fi asked with a smirk.

“Who said I am?” Jack replied transparently. “I’ve already talked to Van and Mom about it. Van said she needs more time to rest up but she understands that I need to get out. Mom insisted on staying here to help Irene and Ned finish rebuilding the bar.”

“Oh? Just Irene and Ned, huh?”

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to address that elephant in the room. I still haven’t found the appropriate time to bring it up with either of them. I keep waiting for Carey to slip up and call me son or something… In fact, do you remember him leaving? Is he here?”

Fi sighed with a giggle, “Out of all the weird things we’ve experienced, that’s definitely top ten. Maybe even top five.”

“I don’t know… Bigfoot? Mermen? You and Clu? Who saw those coming?”

Fi shrugged and sipped her drink.

“I’m just kidding. Really, sis. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks, Jack. You know, you’re always welcome to come visit us in California. Maybe that’s all you need. Not life on four wheels, but a vacation.”

Jack grinned, “Nah, I’ll stick with the monster business. It’s not as booming as it used to be, but damn, is it fun… Especially now that I don’t have to worry about my pain-in-the-ass little sister. She doesn’t even have powers anymore. So lame.”

Fi laughed and poured the remaining eggnog into Jack’s cup. The siblings sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the fire and sipping their drinks. Suddenly, Jack put down his glass and dug into his pocket. He threw something shiny in Fi’s direction and she reached out to catch it, almost dropping her mug in the process.

She recognized the familiar sound of the Mustang’s keys before she had the chance to open her hand.

“Let’s just cut to the chase,” Jack smiled. “I’m averaging a monster per quarter. Clu won’t even notice you’re gone. You want back in or what?”

Fi eyed the keys.

“Like you said, Jack,” she answered with a devilish grin, “we make one hell of a team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on a story I've been writing and reworking for nearly two decades. Please leave your thoughts in the comments and feel free to talk So Weird with me any time over on Tumblr (I'm @darlingkelly there, too)! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!
> 
> And lastly, a special shoutout to the So Weird Podcast for inspiring me to revamp this work. Thanks for helping us weirdos "keep the faith"!


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